By the time dawn arrived, Myungsoo had finally collapsed.

After endlessly filling beer glasses with soju and drinking nonstop, he eventually passed out face-first onto the table.

“I can do it... I really can do it......”

Myungsoo mumbled words that sounded somewhere between drunken rambling and sleep talking.

“But why does everyone keep looking down on me.......”

Listening to his fading voice, I quietly raised my own glass alone.

This local election was an important one that would effectively predict the direction of next year’s presidential election.

At the very least, winning ten metropolitan governor seats would be considered the bare minimum.

To truly claim victory, they needed thirteen seats excluding the three Honam regions. Only then could it be called a landslide.

Myungsoo had set his target at a minimum of twelve seats.

That was why this nomination process was so important, and why he planned to replace nearly half of the incumbent governors with poor approval ratings.

Naturally, dissatisfaction was erupting from within the party.

I gestured toward Manager Ma, who had been standing guard by the entrance.

“Manager Ma. Put Myungsoo in the car and send him to Myeongdong Hotel. Make sure nobody sees him.”

With the ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) local elections just around the corner, reporters were undoubtedly camped outside both Myungsoo’s house and party headquarters. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

Sending him home in this state would only create a spectacle.

“Yes, sir.”

Manager Ma grabbed Myungsoo by the shoulder to support him.

Even then, Myungsoo still hadn’t fully lost consciousness and continued mumbling.

“Let go! I can do it on my own!”

The fact that those were the words coming out of his mouth while completely plastered meant he’d been suffering far more internally than I’d expected.

Manager Ma practically carried him out over his shoulder, leaving me alone to sip soju quietly.

A short while later, Manager Ma returned.

“You got him into the car?”

“Yes. I instructed the staff to escort him carefully. I also contacted Myeongdong Hotel in advance and told them to bring him into the suite through the employee entrance.”

I nodded and finished the remaining soju in my beer glass.

After thinking for a moment, I called out to Manager Ma and pointed to the seat beside me.

“Manager.”

Manager Ma sat down in the seat Myungsoo had occupied earlier.

“Tell me everything about the internal situation inside the Centrist Party.”

As I listened to his explanation, I slowly rolled the glass around in my hand.

No matter how much you suppressed it, a politician’s greed never truly faded.

After finishing his explanation, Manager Ma asked:

“Boss. Shall I clean things up?”

“......Leave it alone.”

“But if the internal conflict deepens, it could affect the election results.”

No matter how much I thought about it, it still seemed better for me not to step in.

I slowly shook my head.

“That’s something Myungsoo has to endure as well. If he’d asked me for help, I would’ve handled everything myself.”

“Then we’ll leave it alone. But what if they try to cross the line?”

I thought briefly before answering.

“Just report it to me. I’m not the only card Myungsoo can use.”

“Yes, sir. Understood.”

I emptied my glass one final time and stood up.

“Cancel all my schedules tomorrow. I need some time to rest and organize my thoughts.”

“Yes, Boss.”

Leaving Manager Ma’s response behind me, I turned around.

For some reason, my steps felt unusually heavy today.

* * *

After waking up, I shut myself inside the study and organized my thoughts.

‘For now, it’s still too early to move on the Eurasian Railway project.......’

The Eurasian Railway project was steadily expanding its list of participating nations under the leadership of the Chinese and Russian governments.

Even with those two countries taking the lead personally, many nations were still hesitating because of possible backlash from the United States.

‘The variable is whether the U.S. imposes economic sanctions on China.’

Whenever another nation’s GDP rose to more than 40% of America’s GDP, the United States had always shaken that country economically.

That had happened to the Soviet Union in the 1970s and Japan in the 1980s.

Under American pressure, the Soviet Union ultimately collapsed, while Japan entered its semiconductor dark age because of the Plaza Accord. The bubble economy burst, and the Japanese economy crumbled alongside it.

At the moment, China’s GDP was still only around 30% of America’s.

Experts predicted it would reach 40% by next year or the year after.

‘Originally, the subprime mortgage crisis delayed economic sanctions against China.’

Rather than sanctioning China, the United States had chosen to use China to recover economically.

As a result, China had been able to maintain rapid growth despite the global economic crisis.

But this time, the Eurasian Railway existed as a new variable. Because of that, there was a possibility the American administration might impose sanctions on China after all.

‘That’s a problem for later, so I’ll put it aside for now.’

The Eurasian Railway was not a project that would finish in the short term.

It was a long-term undertaking that would require at least twenty years, so I decided to think about it from a broader perspective.

‘Han Kyungyeong and Eva are already preparing directly for the subprime mortgage crisis.’

At this point in time, the most important issue no matter what anyone said was the economic crisis brought on by the subprime mortgage collapse.

This was the last opportunity.

There would be plenty of chances to make money afterward, but this was the only chance to turn money itself into a weapon on this scale.

An event where centuries-old American and European banks and insurance companies collapsed one after another would never happen again.

The money I possessed—and everything I had built—would become powerful weapons and strengthen my influence.

Picking up my fountain pen, I began writing down the names of the banks and insurance companies I intended to devour one by one.

Lehman Brothers.

AIG.

My pen stopped there.

‘Even obtaining just those two would be a massive success.’

Lehman Brothers would be abandoned by the American government without even receiving a bailout.

AIG would also face bankruptcy due to the fallout from Lehman Brothers’ collapse.

Before it could fully collapse, the U.S. government would step in and acquire it for 160 billion dollars, only to resell it later.

If there was another buyer willing to take AIG, the U.S. government would have no reason to force the acquisition itself.

And I intended to exploit that opening to take AIG for myself.

Just as I continued writing down the rest of my shopping list, someone knocked on the study door.

I immediately stopped writing and tore the paper containing the list into tiny pieces.

“Come in.”

The door opened, and Manager Ma entered.

“What is it? I said I wanted to rest today.”

“Boss. Oil has been discovered in Block 7.”

“Seriously? Where?”

It was completely unexpected good news.

“We still don’t know the exact details yet. I’ll confirm everything.”

The fishing line I’d cast a long time ago had finally caught something enormous.

There had always been speculation that Block 7 contained vast natural resources, but in my previous life, development had never succeeded before I died.

But this time, it had finally borne fruit.

“Alright. Find out the details and report back.”

“Yes, sir.”

After sending Manager Ma out, I immediately picked up my phone.

While scrolling through my contacts to make a call, my phone rang first.

The moment I saw the number, I answered immediately.

“Yes, Mr. President. This is Kim Muhyuk.”

— President Kim. Have you heard the news?

A smile formed on my lips at the excitement in Yoon Changho’s voice.

“I just heard about it. What are they saying the estimated reserves are?”

— Hah. I actually called because I haven’t received the full report yet myself. I assumed you already knew.

“Haha. I only heard that oil was discovered.”

— I see. At last, our country’s dream has come true.

Yoon Changho’s voice trembled slightly.

Korea was a country heavily dependent on imports for both crude oil and natural gas.

That was why increases in oil or gas prices directly damaged the economy.

“This is only the beginning. The first step is the hardest. After that, things will get easier.”

The fact that crude oil had actually been discovered meant there was a high chance the earlier estimates about massive resource reserves were accurate.

— Haha! Yes, exactly. I’m relieved I got to hear such good news during my term.

“Yes. I’ll investigate further as well. I’ll contact you again later.”

— Alright then. I’ll hang up now.

After finishing the call with Yoon Changho, I went back to scrolling through my contacts.

By the time I finished making calls to gather more detailed information, my phone had practically become hot in my hand.

* * *

Several days passed after the oil field discovery.

By then, the news had completely overtaken major newspapers and broadcasts.

The Korea Daily had practically filled pages one through five entirely with stories about Block 7.

[Massive Crude Oil Discovery in Korea’s Block 7 — A New Horizon for the Economy and Environment?]

News has emerged of a massive crude oil discovery that could open an entirely new chapter for South Korea’s energy industry.

While the government and industrial sector are expressing optimism regarding the discovery’s impact on the national economy, environmental organizations are raising concerns.

Preliminary surveys in Korea’s Block 7 waters confirmed reserves far exceeding expectations, raising hopes that South Korea could assume a new position within the global oil market.

The government believes the discovery could improve energy independence and secure a new engine for long-term economic growth.

An official from the economic ministry stated, “This oil discovery is an opportunity to reduce dependence on energy imports and contribute significantly to the national economy. We expect economic revitalization not only in the petroleum industry but across numerous sectors.”

However, environmental organizations expressed deep concerns regarding environmental destruction and ecological disruption that could occur during oil development.

“These projects could ultimately harm long-term national interests unless environmentally friendly development plans and thorough environmental impact assessments are implemented,” they stated, urging the government to respond responsibly.

In response, the government emphasized that environmental protection would remain its top priority and promised to pursue coexistence with local communities.

It also stressed plans to strengthen investment and research into renewable energy development.

Debate is expected to continue over whether the discovery will provide new momentum for Korea’s energy industry and economy—or increase environmental burdens instead.

Balanced approaches and careful planning are now required throughout society.

Inside a crowded lunch-hour restaurant packed with office workers, people gathered in small groups discussing the oil discovery.

“Manager! Did you hear? Oil’s been discovered in Korea’s Block 7!”

“Yeah, I saw the news this morning too. They’re saying it could be huge for the Korean economy.”

“Wow! Does that mean our country’s finally going to become an oil-exporting nation?”

At the overly excited employee’s question, the manager shrugged.

“Well... I’m still skeptical. They haven’t even released the exact reserve estimates yet.”

“But people online are saying the reserves are massive.”

“......You’ve been browsing the internet during work hours?”

“Come on, Manager. I checked during break time.”

The television mounted in the restaurant was also broadcasting related news.

— A massive crude oil reserve has been discovered in Korea’s Block 7, drawing attention both domestically and internationally.

The discovery is expected to become a major positive factor for the Korean economy.

Footage related to the discovery appeared on screen as the anchor continued.

— According to government officials, the newly discovered oil reserves far exceed previous estimates and could provide Korea with an opportunity to establish a new position in the global oil market.

“See? Even the news says it exceeds expectations. I told you I was right.”

“Looks like it.”

Even those who had remained skeptical seemed visibly excited by the government’s announcement.

Similar conversations could be heard at other tables.

“This is good news for our company too, right?”

“Most likely.”

“But I heard environmental groups are already protesting. Look.”

A man gestured toward the TV to the woman sitting across from him.

Turning her head, she frowned while watching an environmental activist’s interview on the news.

“Hah. There are always people trying to ruin the mood like this.”

Those celebrating the Block 7 discovery as a blessing, those worried about environmental issues, and those working in oil-related industries alike were all waiting for the government’s official announcement.

The discovery of the oil field swallowed every other issue in South Korea.

No—not just South Korea.

The entire world’s attention had turned toward Block 7.